Israel seizes Gaza-bound aid boat, detains Thunberg, others

Israeli forces seized a Gaza-bound aid boat and detained Greta Thunberg and other activists who were on board early on Monday, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the Israel-Hamas war.

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The boat, accompanied by the Israeli navy, was spotted off southern Israel's coast on Monday evening on its way to the Ashdod port, according to a journalist at the scene.

The activists were expected to be held at a detention facility in the Israeli city of Ramle before being deported, according to Adalah, a legal rights group representing the activists.

The activists had set out to protest Israel's ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which is among the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, both of which have put the territory of around 2 million Palestinians at risk of famine.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which had organised the voyage, said that the activists were "kidnapped by Israeli forces" while trying to deliver desperately needed aid to the territory.

"The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo - including baby formula, food and medical supplies - confiscated," it said in a statement. It said the ship was seized in international waters about 200 kilometers from Gaza.

Israel's Foreign Ministry portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying in an X post that "the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel."